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Cuba says border guards killed four gunmen on US-registered speedboat![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Andrew_Roth,_L.png\")
Andrew Roth<\/p>\n
The Cuban Interior Ministry has said that border guards killed four gunmen and wounded six more on a speedboat bearing a Florida registration off the coast of Cuba\u2019s Villa Clara province.<\/p>\n
The rare clash off Cuba\u2019s coast, which took place today, comes at a moment of heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba<\/a> during an oil embargo that has led to an energy and humanitarian crisis on the island.<\/p>\n One border guard was injured in an exchange of gunfire, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n The Cuban embassy in the US said in a post on social media: \u201cIn the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n More on this story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a> California senator Alex Padilla is holding a forum with elected officials and voting rights activists to discuss the Trump administration\u2019s apparent movement toward subverting local elections offices and interfering with voting.<\/p>\n Padilla, who delivered the Spanish language response to Donald Trump\u2019s state of the union address last night, discussed the potential threats to free elections in light of Trump\u2019s comments calling on Republicans to \u201ctake over the voting\u201d in 15 places.<\/p>\n Questioned by senator Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, Fulton County commissioner Mo Ivory said she personally saw Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, when FBI agents served a criminal warrant to take more than 600 boxes of documents from the 2020 election.<\/p>\n \u201cI have demanded an explanation from Pam Bondi about this raid,\u201d Warnock said. \u201cSo far, I have not heard back from her. She has not offered one, but we will keep demanding answers … They\u2019re already trying to cast doubt on the 2026 elections.\u201d<\/p>\n Catherine Cortez Masto, of Nevada, who once served as Nevada\u2019s secretary of state, raised questions about the rhetoric suggesting that noncitizens are voting in meaningful numbers that require additional measures to prevent, describing the evidence of significant noncitizen voting as \u201cnonexistent\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe incidences are so tiny that as a statistical matter, it should be considered zero,\u201d said retired ambassador Norm Eisen, a voting rights activist.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>The day so far<\/p>\n Vice-president JD Vance said that Donald Trump still prefers a diplomatic solution with Iran but still has \u201cother tools at his disposal\u201d that he is willing to use \u2013 and that he hoped the Iranians took that seriously in their negotiations tomorrow. It has been reported<\/a> that Trump\u2019s decision to order airstrikes against Iran will hinge in part on the judgment of his special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, about whether Tehran is stalling over a deal to relinquish its capacity to produce nuclear weapons. The envoys will attend a last-ditch round of negotiations to discuss a detailed proposal for a nuclear deal drafted by Iran is expected to take place in Geneva tomorrow.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the president was busy today weighing in on Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib yelling during his SOTU speech last night. Trump called the two Democratic representatives \u201cLow IQ\u201d and said the had the \u201cbulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump also threatened to \u201csend them back from where they came from \u2013 as fast as possible\u201d. Both women are US citizens. Omar came to the US as a child refugee and has been a US citizen for more than two decades. Tlaib was born in the US.<\/p>\n Omar, of Minnesota, told CNN<\/a> that she didn\u2019t regret her actions at the address, saying Trump posed the question of protecting Americans without acknowledging that \u201chis administration was responsible for killing two American citizens\u201d in her district. \u201cIt was really important to my constituents to hear that I was reminding the president that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed under this administration,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n And Tlaib, of Michigan, responded<\/a> to Trump\u2019s post about her: \u201cCan\u2019t take two Muslimas talking back and correcting him so now he is crashing out. #PresidentMajnoon<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Omar also said today that her State of the Union guest, Aliya Rahman, was charged with unlawful conduct for standing up silently during Trump\u2019s speech last night. \u201cThe heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy. I am calling for a full explanation of why this arrest occurred,\u201d Omar said.<\/p>\n In an interview with Democracy Now, Rahman said<\/a> she stood up because Trump was saying \u201cracist things\u201d and trashing Minnesota while glorifying federal agents, and she wanted to see if there were any \u201cgrownups\u201d among the lawmakers below who were standing against his comments. Republicans around her were also standing up and applauding, though none of them were removed or arrested.<\/p>\n House speaker Mike Johnson called the allegations against Tony Gonzales \u201cdetestable\u201d and said that he would meet with the Texas congressman \u201chopefully today\u201d. Johnson added that he would let the \u201cdue process here to play out as always\u201d. The speaker has resisted growing calls from within the GOP<\/a> to pressure Gonzales to resign over allegations that he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.<\/p>\n Casey Means, the wellness influencer who is Trump\u2019s controversial nominee for US surgeon general, appeared before lawmakers on the Senate committee for health, labor and pensions. She was grilled on everything from her stances on vaccines and autism<\/a>, to her inactive medical license<\/a>.<\/p>\n House Democrats have demanded a briefing from the justice department on the removal of Gail Slater, who was forced to resign as head of the antitrust division<\/a> this month under a cloud of controversy and fraught tensions with her bosses inside the Trump administration.<\/p>\n The US will provide on-site consular services in two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank<\/a> for the first time, breaking with previous policy in a move that has been criticised by Palestinian officials as \u201ca clear violation of international law\u201d.<\/p>\n Marco Rubio held talks in the Caribbean today with regional leaders calling for \u201cde-escalation and dialogue\u201d to deal with the impact of recent US policies and a growing humanitarian crisis in Cuba that could destabilize their region.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.29 EST<\/p>\n Aliya Rahman, Ilhan Omar\u2019s guest who was removed from Donald Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, also spoke about the incident with Democracy Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n She attended the interview in the same clothes as the prior day, saying she only got out of a hospital visit and then custody of Capitol police just before 4am. She said she was \u201carrested so physically that two other attendees upstairs attempted to intervene in officers pulling on my shoulders after I told them I have a torn rotator cuff tendon and multiple cartilage tears in both of my shoulders\u201d, injuries she sustained after her violent arrest by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only reason I can think that they thought me standing silently there was a protest is because by this point my body, unafraid, even if broken, standing and looking at these people in their face, well, that must be a protest to you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Aliya Rahman is removed from the House chamber as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein\/AP<\/p>\n She said the sergeant at arms told her she was removed and arrested because she was standing up.<\/p>\n \u201cNo buttons, no facial expressions, no gestures, no signs. Not one sound. Standing up,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are only two things you can do at the State of the Union, and they are sit down and stand up. All kinds of people were standing up all night.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she stood up because Trump was saying \u201cracist things\u201d and trashing Minnesota while glorifying federal agents, and she wanted to see if there were any \u201cgrownups\u201d among the lawmakers below who were standing against his comments. Republicans around her were also standing up and applauding, though none of them were removed or arrested.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wonder if these folks have noticed yet that every time you try to break my body, you fuel my spirit,\u201d she said. \u201cI was arrested for standing up. This administration wins zero prizes for their command of metaphors.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.10 EST<\/p>\n Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota, told CNN\u2019s Wolf Blitzer<\/a> that she didn\u2019t regret her actions at the State of the Union address, saying Trump posed the question of protecting Americans without acknowledging that \u201chis administration was responsible for killing two American citizens\u201d in her district.<\/p>\n When Blitzer asked if she should have instead not attended the speech, as many Democrats chose to do, she said it was important for her to bring four Minnesotans as guests and for her constituents to see her representing the state there after the killings during the ICE surge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was important for us to be there to bear witness, to hold the space for our constituents that have lived through an occupation from federal law enforcement, that have been terrorized, that have seen our neighbors been killed and traumatized in so many ways and so no, I think it was really important for my constituents to see me there,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was really important to my constituents to hear that I was reminding the president that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed under this administration.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.51 EST<\/p>\n Rashida Tlaib, the Democratic representative from Michigan, responded<\/a> on social media to Trump\u2019s post about her: \u201cCan\u2019t take two Muslimas talking back and correcting him so now he is crashing out. #PresidentMajnoon<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump lays into Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib after State of the Union protests<\/p>\n Donald Trump has weighed in on Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib yelling during his speech last night.<\/p>\n In a post<\/a> on Truth Social, he called the two Democratic representatives \u201cLow IQ\u201d and said the had the \u201cbulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized\u201d.<\/p>\n He also threatened to \u201csend them back from where they came from \u2013 as fast as possible\u201d. Both women are US citizens. Omar came to the US as a child refugee and has been a US citizen for more than two decades. Tlaib was born in the US.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can only damage the United States of America, they can do nothing to help it. They should actually get on a boat with Trump Deranged Robert De Niro, another sick and demented person with, I believe, an extremely Low IQ, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying \u2013 some of which is seriously CRIMINAL!\u201d<\/p>\n He called the actor \u201cTrump Deranged\u201d and said he \u201cmay be even sicker than Crazy Rosie O\u2019Donnell\u201d, another frequent target of Trump\u2019s attacks, saying that O\u2019Donnell \u201cis probably somewhat smarter than [De Niro], which isn\u2019t saying much\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news is that America is now Bigger, Better, Richer, and Stronger than ever before, and it\u2019s driving them absolutely crazy!\u201d he concluded before signing his name in capital letters.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.44 EST<\/p>\n Omar says her State of the Union guest charged with unlawful conduct for standing up silently during speech<\/p>\n Democratic representative Ilhan Omar has said that her State of the Union guest was charged with unlawful conduct for standing up silently during Donald Trump\u2019s speech last night.<\/p>\n Omar said that Aliya Rahman was \u201cforcibly removed\u201d because she stood up in the gallery for a \u201cshort period of time, part of which other guests were also standing\u201d, during the president\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n Reports indicate that Rahman was \u201caggressively handled\u201d and was taken to George Washington University hospital for treatment, Omar said, and she was \u201clater booked at the United States Capitol police headquarters\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy. I am calling for a full explanation of why this arrest occurred,\u201d Omar said.<\/p>\n CNN has a statement from the Capitol police last night which said that Rahman was arrested after \u201cdemonstrating\u201d during the speech. It said:<\/p>\n double quotation markAll State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited. At approximately 10:07 p.m., a person in the House Gallery started demonstrating during tonight\u2019s State of the Union Address. The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders. It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings, so 43-year-old Aliya M. Rahman of Minneapolis, MN, was arrested for D.C. Code \u00a710-503.16 \u2013 Unlawful Conduct, Disruption of Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.35 EST<\/p>\n US to offer passport services to citizens in illegal West Bank settlements International security correspondent<\/p>\n The US will provide on-site consular services in two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank<\/a> for the first time, breaking with previous policy in a move that has been criticised by Palestinian officials as \u201ca clear violation of international law\u201d.<\/p>\n In a post on X, the US embassy in Jerusalem said that as part of an initiative to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, it would provide Americans with routine passport services in the West Bank settlement of Efrat on Friday, \u201cfor one day only\u201d.<\/p>\n Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Israel<\/a> has occupied since 1967, are illegal under international law. Efrat is home to about 12,000 Israelis and is located 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) south of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n The Palestinian Authority\u2019s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said in a statement<\/a> that the initiative \u201cconstitutes a clear violation of international law and a blatant favouring of the occupation authorities\u201d, referring to Israel.<\/p>\n Mu\u2019ayyad Shaa\u2019ban, the head of the commission, said the step \u201centrenches a settlement reality that undermines the possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state\u201d.<\/p>\n Efrat is home to about 12,000 Israelis and many American immigrants on occupied Palestinian land. Photograph: Ammar Awad\/Reuters<\/p>\n Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the intent and context of the new policy were important.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe background is very clear. Mike Huckabee [the US ambassador to Israel] is an avowed proponent of the Greater Israel vision<\/a> and supports the realisation of that vision between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n This is a signal that the US will not treat the Israeli settlements [in the West Bank] in any different way from towns within Israel.<\/p>\n Last week, Israel\u2019s cabinet approved measures to tighten the country\u2019s control over the West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a \u201cde facto annexation\u201d.<\/p>\n Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, has said he opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank in line with longstanding US policy but his administration has not taken any measures to halt settlement activity, which has risen since he took office last year.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>House Democrats open inquiry into ouster of US antitrust chief Gail Slater House Democrats have demanded a briefing from the justice department on the removal of Gail Slater, who was forced to resign as head of the antitrust division<\/a> this month under a cloud of controversy and fraught tensions with her bosses inside the Trump administration.<\/p>\n The request from Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, and Jerry Nadler, a Democratic New York congressman, marked the first step in what is almost certain to become a much larger investigation should Democrats reclaim the House majority in the midterm elections and gain subpoena power.<\/p>\n In a letter to the US attorney general, Pam Bondi<\/a>, Raskin sought a briefing on the role of Trump-connected lobbyists in Slater\u2019s removal, after she tried to block a $14bn merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks, a cloud-computing and software company.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the departure of AAG Slater, it appears there are no longer any principled antitrust experts left to guard the antitrust division from this cascade of corruption,\u201d the letter said<\/a>. \u201cThe leadership vacuum is occurring just as the antitrust division is handling historic cases.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail Slater during her confirmation hearing in February 2025. Photograph: Abaca Press\/Alamy<\/p>\n Slater was pushed out after her relationship with Bondi and JD Vance \u2013 once her most powerful ally until he grew weary of her invoking his name<\/a> at the justice department \u2013 steadily deteriorated off the back of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise case, the Guardian has previously reported.<\/p>\n Among other things, Slater had told Bondi that the US intelligence community never raised national security concerns about stopping the deal. But her claim was contradicted by John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, who questioned why he had not been consulted.<\/p>\n An exasperated Bondi later told associates she felt Slater had lied to her to continue with the suit, which the justice department dropped in June 2025 in favor of negotiating a settlement. Slater in turn complained the department had been captured by lobbyists for Hewlett Packard Enterprise.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the justice department referred queries about its response to the letter to Bondi\u2019s previous statement thanking Slater for her service.<\/p>\n More on this story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.23 EST<\/p>\n Rubio begins talks with Caribbean leaders calling for \u2018de-escalation and dialogue\u2019 amid US oil embargo on Cuba<\/p>\n The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, arrived in the Caribbean today to begin talks with regional leaders who are calling for \u201cde-escalation and dialogue\u201d to deal with the impact of recent US policies and a growing humanitarian crisis in Cuba that could destabilize their region.<\/p>\n It comes amid continued deadly US military strikes<\/a> against alleged drug boats and the Trump administration\u2019s oil blockade on Cuba. Trump is ratcheting up the pressure on Cuba in the wake of his dramatic ousting of Venezuelan president<\/a> and key Cuban ally Nicol\u00e1s Maduro last month.<\/p>\n Rubio addressed a closed-door meeting of Caricom, the Caribbean group that comprises 15 member states and five associated members, in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and would hold bilateral meetings with some regional leaders, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n The meeting\u2019s host, Saint Kitts and Nevis PM Terrance Drew, said that Caricom should be a conduit for dialogue over Cuba\u2019s future. \u201cA destabilized Cuba will destabilize all of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Yesterday, ahead of Rubio\u2019s arrival, my colleague Natricia Duncan reported<\/a> that the Jamaican prime minister and the outgoing Caricom chair, Andrew Holness, appealed for a collective response to the crisis in Cuba, saying that he supports \u201cconstructive dialogue between Cuba and the US aimed at de-escalation, reform and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must address the situation in Cuba with clarity and courage,\u201d Holness said. \u201cCuba is our Caribbean neighbour. Its doctors and teachers have served across our region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Cubans are facing \u201csevere economic hardship, energy shortages and growing humanitarian strain\u201d, which could have consequences across the wider region, he said.<\/p>\n double quotation markHumanitarian suffering serves no one. Apart from our fraternal care and solidarity with the Cuban people, it must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba. It will affect migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.<\/p>\n The Trump administration<\/a> has been pressuring countries to stop participating in the Cuban medics program \u2013 which is a source of foreign currency for the Cuban government \u2013 chill relations with China and consider allowing US military hardware in their countries. Trump has also threatened tariff hikes against any nation sending energy supplies to Cuba and has urged the country\u2019s leaders to reach a deal to avert a worsening humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n Marco Rubio attends a Caricom plenary session in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.55 EST<\/p>\n Back at the Senate committee for health, labor and pensions\u2019 grilling of Casey Means, Trump\u2019s controversial nominee for US surgeon general \u2026<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/George-Chidi.jpg\")
George Chidi<\/p>\n![\"Jason](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jason_Burke.png\")
Jason Burke<\/p>\n![\"Hugo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hugo_Lowell.png\")
Hugo Lowell<\/p>\n![\"Shrai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772054830_439_Shrai_Popat.png\")
Shrai Popat<\/p>\n